


Part of Your World

by thraxbaby



Series: Fairy Tale AU [2]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Little Mermaid AU, just in time for merMay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 21:21:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18747355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thraxbaby/pseuds/thraxbaby
Summary: A curious mermaid saves a drowning pirate and falls in love





	Part of Your World

A ship glided through the gentle waves of the ocean. It was a clear night with a good breeze, perfect for a celebration. The crew were dancing and singing and playing music, all to celebrate a successful haul. The merchant ship they had plundered earlier gave up a good fight, but in the end, the pirates had come out victorious. Little did they know, their celebration attracted the attention of someone unseen. 

The curious mermaid named Ramona had been watching the stars when the sound of music echoed over the ocean. Curiosity always burning within her, she swam up to the ship and climbed up the side to peek at the revelers. They were an ugly bunch - most humans were, honestly - but one had caught her eye. He was tall and skinny, with hair red as coral and such a lovely bright smile. He played a stringed instrument and tapped out the beat with his feet. 

As she watched the humans, something cold slithered up her back and periscoped up over her shoulder, wrapping its body around her neck. 

"Friend!"

"Faust!" she hissed at her friend. "Not so high, they might spot you."

"Spy?"

"No, I'm just curious. I've never seen a human so close before. And that one over there is so handsome." Faust looked over in the direction Ramona was looking. 

"Too slobbery." Faust commented. 

"What? No, the one playing that stringy mabobber." She watched them dance, curious as how they moved without tails. She was so entranced, she almost didn't notice the creature coming to inspect her. It looked a bit like a seal, but with wrinkles and four legs. She gasped as it sniffed her, but it didn't alert the humans. Instead, it gave her face a friendly lick before it was called back by the red-haired human. 

"What is it, Brundle? Did you see a fish out there?" he asked. The mermaid ducked her head before she could be seen. Footsteps came her way and she hugged the side of the ship, held up by the ship's decorative carving. She looked up and saw the red-haired man, leaning against the rail and looking out to sea. The way the moonlight illuminated his face made him look so handsome. Ramona stayed silent as someone joined him. 

"Ilya, when we make port, I think you should stay there, try to settle down. Find a nice boy or girl. You are much too lonely and that old dog of yours can only do so much." an old woman said. 

"Trust me, I'm trying. I just... haven't found the right person, yet. I know they're out there, I just have to find them." Ilya answered. 

"Well, you won't find them on this old ship, I can tell you that." The old woman answered. 

Their conversation was cut short by the wind suddenly picking up and the distant rumble of thunder on the horizon. A storm was coming. Ramona knew she should swim away, but she feared for the humans. She explored the many shipwrecks left over from storms. Too often, they had the skeletons of humans that didn't survive. She couldn't bear the thought of the handsome human ending up like that. Ramona tried to hang on, but the waves were too rough and she dropped back into the ocean. 

She surfaced again, wanting to keep an eye on the ship. There was a flash of lightning and the mast caught fire, undeterred by the rain. The crew rushed to get into the longboat, but a barking caught Ilya's attention. Brundle! She was surrounded by flames, too old and slow to escape. Ilya hopped over the flames and picked her up. The flames ate through the wood deck, dropping embers down into the powder magazine. Ilya knew he had only seconds. He threw Bundle overboard. Then... 

BOOM! 

The magazine caught an ember and exploded. Everyone's heart stopped. How could anyone survive that? Ramona dived below, swimming among the debris, hoping to find him. There! He was unconscious and slowly sinking into the water. Ramona swam to him and pulled him back up to the surface. She kept his head above water by draping him on a piece of debris and swam him towards land. 

The pink light of dawn lit up the sky by the time they reached land. Ramona dragged him up onto the beach. 

"Dead?" Faust asked. 

"I don't know, Faust." She couldn't see him breathing. So she pressed her lips to his, stealing the water from his lungs and blowing in air. When she pulled away, she could see his chest moving. He was alive! She let out a sigh of relief. 

Ramona knew it was dangerous to be near land, but she couldn't push herself to leave his side. He was so beautiful. She ran a finger gently over his features, across his forehead, down his nose, over his lips... She smoothed his hair away from his face, humming a song to herself. She could stay here forever. 

Suddenly, his eyes fluttered open. He looked at her as though wondering if she was real. She wanted to reassure him he was safe, to get to know him, but voices from down the beach caught her attention. The Brundle creature came bounding down the beach, barking. Ramona fled into the ocean. 

"Ilya! He's over here! Ilya, are you okay?!" Ilya groaned, his voice hoarse, probably from coughing up seawater. He looked to his side, sure he had just seen the most beautiful woman right here. Just then, Brundle invaded his sight, happily licking his face. He laughed and pushed the dog away. Mazelinka helped him sit up. 

"We thought you were dead, boy." Mazelinka said. "How on earth you survived..."

"She saved me."

"Who?" 

"I don't know, she was just here. She had the most beautiful voice..." Ilya looked around, but there were no footprints to see where she had gone. 

"You probably just swallowed too much seawater. Let's get some food and drink into you." Mazelinka helped him up and they walked off towards the town. 

Meanwhile, Ramona had been watching from behind some rocks. Seeing him walk away was bittersweet, but he was well and alive and she knew somewhere, somehow, they would meet again. Hopefully soon. She and Faust slipped into the water to go home and get some rest. 

... 

Every day since the shipwreck, Julian had returned to the beach, pacing up and down the sand, looking for answers. On the third day, just before he gave up, Brundle suddenly got excited over something. He followed her down the beach until they reached some rocks. There, he found a young woman. She was naked and struggled to stand, seemingly in pain. She must have been shipwrecked, as well. Julian immediately pulled off his coat and wrapped it around her. She was small enough that it covered her completely. He picked her up, asking her questions, going into doctor mode, until he got a good look at her face. His words trailed off. 

"It's you." Her lively brown eyes stared up at him, happiness clear on her face. "You're the one who saved me, aren't you?" She nodded her head. Julian laughed. He held her close and spun them around. 

"I've been looking for the brave young woman who saved my life for days. What's your name?" he asked. Ramona mouthed out her name, but no sound came out. Her face fell. 

"You can't speak?" She shook her head no. "Ah. Well then, can you write?" The girl nodded. "Good. Let's get you some clothes and a good meal and we'll sort things out." Ramona nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. She had traded her voice for legs that barely worked, but she found her human and he was incredibly kind to her. She could see a wonderful future ahead.


End file.
